Horatio Nelson Boyd Diary, 1864 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

This microfilm collection contains two reels (one original, one duplicate) of Boyd's diary for Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 1864. The diary opens with Boyd in an unnamed hospital, where was recuperating from a bullet wound to the face. In the fall of 1864 his regiment joined Gens. Hatch and Washburne's pursuit of Gen. Forrest across the Tennessee River. Boyd details several minor skirmishes that occured during this chase.

Biographical/Historical Context:

Horatio Nelson Boyd (1844-1930), born in Wilmington, Del., enlisted at Galva, Ill., on Sept. 1, 1861, as a private Co. L, 7th Ill. Cav., re-enlisted in the same unit in 1864, and mustered out on Nov. 4, 1865. After the war, Boyd moved to Belleville, Kans. He was twice elected to the Kansas legislature, and served as a major in the Spanish-American War. He died in Norfolk, Nebr.

Acquisition Source: Mrs. Joe Dennison, of Lincoln, Nebr., loaned the diary for filming to the Nebraska State Historical Society in 1974. The Society donated it to the University of Illinois Library in 2009.